AI Natives Among Us

AI natives are your emerging customers

For several years Prolego has struggled to reconcile our clients’ competing AI perspectives. Savvy companies want the market dominance of AI-based consumer apps like TikTok. But they can become paralyzed with fears about consumer backlash over AI’s potential downsides. This tension impedes their AI transformation programs.

In response, Russ and I launched a research campaign to answer the question, What do consumers actually think about AI and the companies that embrace it? Do AI-driven products represent more opportunity or a loss of control?

What we discovered surprised us: focusing on AI modernization as being either “good” or “bad” is unhelpful. Far more relevant to business decisions is recognizing the emergence of a consumer who has a whole new perspective on AI. We call this consumer the AI native. AI natives understand AI to be much larger than just a technology. It’s a relationship that can anticipate their needs and delight them in unexpected ways. It’s a collaborative partner they can train to simplify their lives.

This report doesn’t address AI ethical issues such as potential inequality, bias, and privacy. These are critically important topics, and we fully support continued research into them. AI natives, like all customers, expect companies to behave ethically.

Instead of addressing those issues, this report offers insight into how customers think about this technology. It introduces you to AI natives and suggests steps for integrating their perspectives into your services. We hope it helps illuminate your road ahead. If you have questions, feel free to contact us at russ@prolego.com.

Kevin Dewalt & Russ Rands, co-founders, Prolego